diff --git a/lib/core/dicts.py b/lib/core/dicts.py
index b6a0ea2ba..47e316e87 100644
--- a/lib/core/dicts.py
+++ b/lib/core/dicts.py
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ DEPRECATED_OPTIONS = {
                         "--replicate": "use '--dump-format=SQLITE' instead",
                         "--no-unescape": "use '--no-escape' instead",
                         "--binary": "use '--binary-fields' instead",
+                        "--auth-private": "use '--auth-file' instead",
                         "--check-payload": None,
                         "--check-waf": None,
                      }
diff --git a/lib/core/option.py b/lib/core/option.py
index 99c716032..d73b512bc 100644
--- a/lib/core/option.py
+++ b/lib/core/option.py
@@ -1264,13 +1264,13 @@ def _setHTTPAuthentication():
 
     global authHandler
 
-    if not conf.authType and not conf.authCred and not conf.authPrivate:
+    if not conf.authType and not conf.authCred and not conf.authFile:
         return
 
-    if conf.authPrivate and not conf.authType:
+    if conf.authFile and not conf.authType:
         conf.authType = AUTH_TYPE.PKI
 
-    elif conf.authType and not conf.authCred and not conf.authPrivate:
+    elif conf.authType and not conf.authCred and not conf.authFile:
         errMsg = "you specified the HTTP authentication type, but "
         errMsg += "did not provide the credentials"
         raise SqlmapSyntaxException(errMsg)
@@ -1285,7 +1285,7 @@ def _setHTTPAuthentication():
         errMsg += "Basic, Digest, NTLM or PKI"
         raise SqlmapSyntaxException(errMsg)
 
-    if not conf.authPrivate:
+    if not conf.authFile:
         debugMsg = "setting the HTTP authentication type and credentials"
         logger.debug(debugMsg)
 
@@ -1336,7 +1336,7 @@ def _setHTTPAuthentication():
         debugMsg = "setting the HTTP(s) authentication PEM private key"
         logger.debug(debugMsg)
 
-        _ = safeExpandUser(conf.authPrivate)
+        _ = safeExpandUser(conf.authFile)
         checkFile(_)
         authHandler = HTTPSPKIAuthHandler(_)
 
diff --git a/lib/core/optiondict.py b/lib/core/optiondict.py
index 3ff1ded01..257f86eb0 100644
--- a/lib/core/optiondict.py
+++ b/lib/core/optiondict.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ optDict = {
                                "headers":           "string",
                                "authType":          "string",
                                "authCred":          "string",
-                               "authPrivate":       "string",
+                               "authFile":          "string",
                                "proxy":             "string",
                                "proxyCred":         "string",
                                "proxyFile":         "string",
diff --git a/lib/parse/cmdline.py b/lib/parse/cmdline.py
index 4eebceb2c..b801bab95 100644
--- a/lib/parse/cmdline.py
+++ b/lib/parse/cmdline.py
@@ -144,8 +144,8 @@ def cmdLineParser(argv=None):
                            help="HTTP authentication credentials "
                                 "(name:password)")
 
-        request.add_option("--auth-private", dest="authPrivate",
-                           help="HTTP authentication PEM private key file")
+        request.add_option("--auth-file", dest="authFile",
+                           help="HTTP authentication PEM cert/private key file")
 
         request.add_option("--ignore-401", dest="ignore401", action="store_true",
                           help="Ignore HTTP Error 401 (Unauthorized)")
diff --git a/lib/request/pkihandler.py b/lib/request/pkihandler.py
index ea3aa7aad..2f0c31dba 100644
--- a/lib/request/pkihandler.py
+++ b/lib/request/pkihandler.py
@@ -11,12 +11,13 @@ import urllib2
 from lib.core.data import conf
 
 class HTTPSPKIAuthHandler(urllib2.HTTPSHandler):
-    def __init__(self, key_file):
+    def __init__(self, auth_file):
         urllib2.HTTPSHandler.__init__(self)
-        self.key_file = key_file
+        self.auth_file = auth_file
 
     def https_open(self, req):
         return self.do_open(self.getConnection, req)
 
     def getConnection(self, host, timeout=None):
-        return httplib.HTTPSConnection(host, key_file=self.key_file, timeout=conf.timeout)
+        # Reference: https://docs.python.org/2/library/ssl.html#ssl.SSLContext.load_cert_chain
+        return httplib.HTTPSConnection(host, cert_file=self.auth_file, key_file=self.auth_file, timeout=conf.timeout)
diff --git a/sqlmap.conf b/sqlmap.conf
index c18159375..2bcd15f1d 100644
--- a/sqlmap.conf
+++ b/sqlmap.conf
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@ authType =
 # Syntax: username:password
 authCred = 
 
-# HTTP Authentication PEM private key. Useful only if the target URL requires
+# HTTP Authentication PEM private/cert key file. Useful only if the target URL requires
 # PKI authentication and you have such data.
 # Syntax: key_file
-authPrivate = 
+authFile = 
 
 # Use a proxy to connect to the target URL.
 # Syntax: (http|https|socks4|socks5)://address:port